Their Little Miracle (Pt 8 Puppy Dog Eyes)
by Valenka
Summary: Cassandra goes into labour


Jenkins stood in _Phoebe's Coffee Hut_ getting the coffee and one of those strawberry shakes Cassandra had become obsessed with as of late. Noise buzzed around him, people laughing and coffee grinders whizzing, the sound of his phone ringing sliced through the hubbub though and grabbed Jenkins' attention. He held it to his ear with the aid of his left shoulder as he handed over a note to the young blonde girl on the counter and took the cardboard tray.

"Yes, Colonel Baird, what can I-"

He was suddenly cut off by Eve yelling down the phone at him, Jenkins' eyes widened and the tray tumbled to the marble-like floor before the immortal raced out the building to his car uncaring as to the mess or his change.

When the Knight arrived back at the Annex he found it looking as though everyone had just vanished from existence, books lay open and Eve's morning toast still sat steaming on her desk. Normally he'd have gotten the intense urge to tidy the place up but not that day, that day he couldn't have cared less.

Without even pausing Jenkins pulled open the back door and stepped through onto the maternity ward. Nurses and panicked looking fathers-to-be shuffled back and forth as Jenkins looked around for the Librarians and Guardian.

"Jenkins." Flynn called out from behind him and the white-haired man strode over to them all quickly.

"Cassandra is in there." Said Eve as she gestured towards the closed door behind Jake. "She's been asking for you."

"Yeah," began Ezekiel from the waiting area chairs beside Flynn, his eyes were staring blankly at the floor and his face wore a perplexed expression. "there was water of something and... and-"

"Shut up, Jones!" Barked Jake and the thief fell silent.

Cassandra wasn't due for another week but Jenkins wasn't worried, he'd been born early as well. Carefully he tugged off this thick coat and set it down on the blue chair beside Ezekiel and subconsciously straightened his bow tie before turning to Cassandra's room. The immortal took a deep breath and then stepped inside.

Two nurses occupied the room, one short and blonde and the other dark-skinned with hair piled up on the top of her head.

"Sir," began the blonde "you can't come in here."

"I'm here father." Jenkins told her in that deep baritone of his, silk-like and smooth.

"Still, Sir, you'll have to wait outside with the other family."

"The baby's father." He clarified then went to Cassandra's side.

"Jenkins!"

The immortal took her hand in his while the other rested softly on her baby bump. Soon their child would be in their arms. Her forehead was damp where pain had started to take its told on her, contractions coming in sharp stabs; Cassandra was brave though, she could withstand just about anything.

"Didn't bring me my milkshake then? Terrible boyfriend."

She chuckled just as another contraction hit her, the redhead squeezed Jenkins' hand, he may have been impervious to harm but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"I'll get you one tomorrow. I think they're still mopping it up from the café floor. How are you, Sweetheart?"

The two nurses were still watching them out the corner of their eyes silently judging the age gap but Jenkins and Cassandra hardly even noticed.

"Almost fully dilated." She told him softly. "Apparently the baby is impatient."

"She takes after her father then. According to my mother when I decided to be born I had made my mind up and was quick about it."

Jenkins couldn't help but smile at the memory and Cassandra found it infectious.

"Could still be a boy, you'd look pretty silly then."

"No," he said without a shadow of a doubt. "she's a girl. Just wait and see."

The Caretaker might have looked calm on the outside but on the inside he was terrified. Yes he was immortal and had faced off against hundreds of foes but nothing could prepare him for parenthood. He had read all those books that Cassandra had but he was still scared. What if he couldn't do this right? What if their baby got bullied for having a father as old as him? What if some evil soul intent on taking over the world via magic hurt he for being his and Cassandra's daughter? He'd had all these worries and more since his darling redhead had told him she was pregnant. However, Jenkins wasn't important at that moment in time, Cassandra and the baby were.

"We never did pick a name, did we?" Another spark of pain shot through her.

"As I remember your list was almost three pages long, My Love."

"Still think it would be nice to name her after Nikola Tesla."

Suddenly Cassandra cried out in pain and Jenkins felt his bones grate together where she crushed his hand. The white-haired man couldn't do anything to stop the pain, all he could do was comfort the woman he loved as best he could. Carefully he brushed a loose strand of fiery red hair behind her ear as she gave life to their child.

"Time to start pushing now, Miss Cillian." The doctor told her soon after he'd entered the room.

Over the months the Knight had become accustom to 'I'm going to be a father' but there it was, he was a father now. Jenkins almost blanked out entirely as nurses rushed about and Cassandra cried out in pain; she'd started to regret her insistence on natural childbirth. Jenkins felt almost as though he was in the room but not part of what was happening. He only snapped out of it when he heard their child cry for the first time.

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

Jenkins grinned and looked down to his darling Cassandra with awe in his dark eyes. He could see the exhaustion in her face but there was a glowing energy there keeping her awake and smiling.

When the nurses had cleaned up their daughter and the doctor had finished with Cassandra they made to place the baby in her mother's arms but Cassandra refused.

"Him first." She nodded her head up to Jenkins and the blonde nurse instead rounded the bed and slipped the blanket wrapped baby girl into his awaiting arms. "I carried her for nine months, you should get a turn."

Carefully Jenkins sat down on the edge of the bed beside Cassandra so she could gaze at their daughter. So beautiful, she already had wisps of red hair and no doubt the same stunning cerulean eyes of her mother. Her skin was so soft and her little fingers smaller than anything he'd ever seen.

"Hello, Princess." He greeted softly, voice gentle and soothing.

"Princess huh?"

"Well, technically I'm a prince so that makes her a princess."

Cassandra paused for a moment and just looked at him.

"You're a prince?"

"I'm an illegitimate son but my mother was Princess Elaine of Corbenic, and my Grandfather was a king so yes, she's a princess."

Cassie grinned, Jenkins couldn't take his eyes from their baby girl, just stared at her with love and awe.

"So she's a princess, Princess what? She still needs a name... and you've had one for months haven't you? You always knew she was a girl, why didn't you tell me the name?"

Jenkins took a breath. "... Because, because you had a three page list of baby names and I didn't want to ruin anything if you set your heart on a name."

That was why she loved him, he always put everyone else before himself. Suddenly a knock came on the door and Eve poked her head inside with a gentle smile on her beautiful face.

"Hey, can we come in?"

Jenkins looked down to his Cassandra for confirmation but she was already propping herself up and gesturing for them to come in. Eve pushed the door all the way open and the other Librarians filed in behind her; Ezekiel last to close the door behind him. They gathered around the hospital bed as quietly as possible and tried to get a peek at the new baby, Eve was first to lean down and coo over the baby.

"How you feeling, Cassie?" Asked Jake with concern, he'd become almost like a big brother to the redhead over the years.

"Yeah, fine. A little bit exhausted but I'm perfect now I have her."

"Congrats mates." Grinned Ezekiel with that school boy smile of his. "What's her name?"

"Yes, what's the little Librarian called?"

"She might be a Guardian, Flynn." Countered Eve.

"She's perfect is what she is."

Everything fell into a comfortable silence at Jenkins' words, there was no doubt in any of their minds that Jenkins would be a wonderful father. The little girl in his arms was already the most important thing in the world to him. The peaceful quiet continued until a sleepy Cassandra prompted Jenkins.

"Are you going to tell me our daughter's name or not?"

"Sorry." Finally he lifted his eyes from the baby and up to the woman he loved and their friends. "Adrianna. Her name is Adrianna."

"That's beautiful." Cassie reached up to brush a single finger over her daughter's delicate cheek. "Hello, Adrianna."

XXXX

Later when the other Librarians and their Guardian had returned to the annex and night had descended, while Cassandra got some much needed sleep Jenkins rocked his baby girl in his arms. So small, so perfect. Adrianna slept peaceful wrapped in her soft yellow blanket in her tiny white onsie, Jenkins couldn't wait to see her at home settled in her crib with that big elephant Cassandra had found for her.

He was still terrified of fatherhood but he'd been afraid the first time he'd rode into battle as well, he could do this, he was brave, beside, he wouldn't have been doing it for him, he was doing it for Adrianna. It was strange to think that his darling daughter was only a few hours old and yet he felt like he'd known her all his life, maybe he had, she was part of him after all. Jenkins didn't really understand all the emotions rushing around inside him in that moment.

"I love you, Adrianna." He whispered to the sleeping baby as he gently rocked her back and forth, hardly moved really. "Daddy loves you. And I will always be there to protect you, to guide you. My mother tried her best and I'm not sure if my father ever actually liked me, you won't have to grow up like me, I promise. And your mother won't like it but I'll teach you to use a sword as well."

With that Jenkins leaned down and pressed a kiss to Adrianna's little forehead, completely unaware that Cassandra had listened to the whole thing. Just when she thought she couldn't love him any more there he went surprising her. She wanted to sit up and smile at him, tell him she loved him, but that would have ruined the moment Jenkins and their daughter shared. She couldn't do that, so instead Cassandra nestled her head further into the pillows and let sleep take her.


End file.
